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Fact check: Yes pbs and npr should be defunded no tax payer dollars should go towards biased so called news sources where 98-100% democratic workers

Checked on June 17, 2025

1. Summary of the results

The analyses confirm that recent legislative action has been taken to defund public media outlets. The House of Representatives voted to eliminate federal funding for NPR and PBS, with the bill clawing back $1.1 billion from public broadcasting [1] [2]. This legislative effort moved from the House to the Senate for approval [1]. Additionally, the President issued an executive order in May 2025 to cease federal funding for NPR and PBS, specifically citing concerns over bias and the need for "fair, accurate, and unbiased news coverage" [3].

The financial impact extends beyond national outlets to local stations, as 16 Minnesota public media organizations receive federal funding that could be affected by these defunding efforts [4]. The analyses indicate that Republicans have cited concerns over bias in news coverage as their primary justification for eliminating this funding [2].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original statement lacks several crucial pieces of context. First, no evidence is provided in the analyses to support the specific claim that "98-100% democratic workers" staff these organizations. The analyses focus on legislative actions and bias concerns but do not include workforce demographic data [1] [5] [2] [3].

The analyses reveal that the impact of defunding extends far beyond perceived political bias. Rural areas would be particularly affected by the elimination of public media funding, as these stations often serve communities with limited media options [2]. Local public radio and television stations across the country, including the 16 organizations in Minnesota alone, would face significant operational challenges [4].

Alternative viewpoints on media bias evaluation are presented in the analyses, which suggest using systematic approaches to assess news source reliability rather than blanket characterizations [6] [7]. These sources emphasize the importance of considering multiple perspectives and using established bias rating systems when evaluating news outlets.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement contains unsubstantiated numerical claims about workforce composition. The assertion that "98-100% democratic workers" staff PBS and NPR is not supported by any data in the provided analyses. This appears to be an exaggerated claim that could constitute misinformation.

The statement also employs inflammatory language by referring to these outlets as "so called news sources," which suggests a predetermined bias against public media rather than an objective assessment. The analyses show that while bias concerns have been raised by Republican legislators [2], the characterization in the original statement goes beyond documented concerns.

The statement oversimplifies a complex issue by focusing solely on perceived political bias while ignoring the broader public service mission of these organizations and their impact on underserved communities, particularly in rural areas [2]. The analyses suggest that media bias evaluation should involve systematic assessment using established rating systems rather than categorical dismissals [6] [7].

Want to dive deeper?
What percentage of PBS and NPR employees identify as Democrat?
How much of PBS and NPR funding comes from taxpayer dollars versus private donations?
What are the arguments for and against defunding public media outlets like PBS and NPR?
How do PBS and NPR ensure diversity of viewpoints in their programming?
What would be the impact on local journalism and community programming if PBS and NPR were defunded?